Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Back in 1994, November 5th to be precise I was in Las Vegas and attended the Michael Moorer vs George Foreman Heavyweight Title Championship Fight at the MGM Grand Stadium.

I had just turned 40 that year as my birthday is on November 2nd every year. My friend John Polak was with me that year in "Vegas" and we decided to try to get tickets for the big fight. At first they said at the ticket office that the fight was sold out but to check back in about an hour as sometimes they are able to free up some tickets. We came back and got a couple tickets in the balcony (see proof with picture of the ticket on your left).

There is always something to see in Las Vegas. I remember we saw "Sugar Ray Leonard" being interviewed by Jim Rome (of the " Rome is Burning " television show) in the MGM sports book area.

On "fight night" there was an under card of about eight fights before the "Main Event". A couple of fights were of women wailing against each other with their fists. There were about eighteen thousand people there for the title fight. We got to see Michael Buffer introduce Michael Moorer and "Big George" before the start of the fight with his famous voice and phrase "LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMMBLLLLLE". I was glad I had my trusty binoculars as up in the balcony seats the fighters were only an inch or two in height without them.

George Foreman had a famous and colorful past as an Olympic Champion, fighting Muhammed Ali in the "Rumble In The Jungle", and of course his George Foreman cooking grill appliances. George has 10 children with five boys named George Jr, George III, George IV, George V, and George VI, with nicknames of "Monk", "Red","Joe","Big Wheel", and "Little George".

Back in 1994 George was 45 years old and an underdog in this fight with Michael Moorer. The titles up that evening were the IBF and the WBA as Michael Moorer had beaten EvanderHolyfield. Foreman wore the same red trunks that he wore twenty years earlier when he lost to Ali. Over the first nine rounds Foreman was behind in the fight to the quicker boxing style of Michael Moorer. In the tenth round George caught Moorer with a few jabs then a quick short right hit to the chin knockingMoorer to the deck.

George became the oldest fight to win the heavyweight crown and the fighter with the longest time interval between winning and regaining the heavyweight title (20 years).

Good old George came through in the end. He was cookin' that night and didn't run out of gas as he grilled Michael Moorer to the chin with his right hand.